Consumer Law

Alabama Collection Lawsuits Filed The Week Of Alabama Collection Lawsuits Filed The Week Of April 20, 2009

Posted on May 25, 2009
Here is a (belated) update on some of the debt buyer lawsuits filed in the state of Alabama during the week of April 20, 2009. Arrow Financial Services 28 Asset Acceptance 70 Atlantic Credit & Finance 123 Cach, LLC 3 Cavarly Portfolio Services, LLC 7 Delta Capital Resources, LLC 2 Hilco Receivables LLC 4 LHR Inc 2 Lionheart Funding LLC 3 LVNV Funding 6 MCM Holdings LLC 1 Midland Funding LLC 110 NCO Portfolio Management 2 Northstar Capital Acquistions, LLC 1 Palisades Collections, LLC 2 Portfolio Recovery Associates 27 RJM Aquisititions 3 TBF Financial 1 Unifund CCR Partners 7 World Acceptance Corporation 27 Worldwide Asset Purchasing 8 If you would like our free report on "The Five Secrets Debt Buyers Don't Want You To Know About" then call us at 205-879-2447, contact us through our website, or fill out the form below: Contact Information First Name * Last Name * Email * Street Address1 Street Address2 City State * Postal Code Miscellaneous Check all that apply: Check this box to order report!

New Video Reveals The Biggest Danger For Consumers Sued By A Collector

Posted on May 24, 2009
We recently made a video discussing the biggest danger that consumers face when they are sued in Alabama by a collector or debt buyer - not answering the lawsuit! We are amazed at how often this happens. Consumers who don't answer the lawsuit face a default judgment which means the collector or debt buyer wins...

Cardholders and Problems with Credit Cards

Posted on May 24, 2009
Time.com has posted an article that takes a different approach to dealing with the issue of credit card debt. Barbara Kiviat, author of the article, says that credit card companies' "laundry list" of fees and other assorted charges are a large matter in the problem when looking at consumer debt...

Alabama Collection Lawsuits Filed The Week Of April 13, 2009

Posted on May 23, 2009
Here is a (belated) update on some of the debt buyer lawsuits filed in the state of Alabama during the week of April 13, 2009. Arrow Financial Services 65 Asset Acceptance 17 Atlantic Credit & Finance 78 Cach, LLC 11 Capital Financial Credit LLC 1 Cavarly Portfolio Services, LLC 6 Delta Capital Resources, LLC 7 Harvest Credit Management, LLC 2 Hilco Receivables LLC 11 Lionheart Funding LLC 10 LVNV Funding 15 MCM Holdings LLC 2 Merchants Adjustment Services, Inc...

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New Video - Why Do Abusive Debt Collectors Call Third Parties?

Posted on May 22, 2009
With the economic slowdown, we are seeing more and more abusive debt collectors calling co-workers, neighbors, family members, and others in order to collect debts. These bill collectors know this is illegal but they do it for one simple reason: It Works! If you would like to read our free report on Making Collectors Pay For Contacting Third Parties either call us at 205-879-2447 or fill out our contact sheet on our website or on this blog or fill out the report form below and we will send it to you by email or mail - whichever you prefer...

How the New Credit Law Affects You

Posted on May 22, 2009
CreditCards.com has posted an article that discusses exactly how the newly passed credit reform bill will affect consumers. The new bill calls for credit card companies allowing consumers more time to pay their balance and "clearer due dates and times...

New Video - Debt Buyer Lawsuits - What Is A Debt Buyer?

Posted on May 21, 2009
The explosion in lawsuits filed against Alabama consumers in Jefferson County, Shelby County, and really all counties in the state continues. So many debt buyer lawsuits are filed that the courts are struggling to handle the burden of the cases. The first question that you are likely to ask yourself when you are sued by a debt buyer is "What is a debt buyer?" Or "I never did business with Midland, Unifund, Asset Acceptance, etc - who are they?" In this short video I want to give you a little bit of insight into debt buyers and we will continue with a number of videos walking you through some information about debt buyer lawsuits...

Collection Agency Steals $2.7 Million from City of Boston

Posted on May 17, 2009
InsideArm.com has posted an article about a collection agency accused of stealing $2.7 million from the city of Boston. Prosecution is claiming the president of the collection agency has "transferred more than $2.7 million from a City of Boston bank account to his own company?s account...

New Consumer Protection Article On Illegal Voicemails From Bill Collectors To Cell Phones

Posted on May 16, 2009
We recently published a new article on our consumer protection website answering the question "Can a bill collector call my cell phone and leave a voice mail?" In general the answer is "sometimes" but normally the collection agency will violate the law...

Recession's Effect on Mortgages

Posted on May 15, 2009
The Florida Bankruptcy Attorney Blog has posted an article that discusses the effects of the recession on mortgage payments, especially people with 2 mortgages to pay. It's possible to have taken out a "second home equity line of credit" to catch up with delinquent payments...

Proposed Credit Amendement Bill Passes House

Posted on May 13, 2009
Associated Press writer Marcy Gordon has written an article about the House passing Obama's proposed credit card bill. The bill seeks to protect consumers by demanding 45 days of notice before an increase in interest. If made into law, this would take effect in 90 days...

New Video Discussing Third Party Contacts - What Is A "Third Party"?

Posted on May 13, 2009
As we have discussed before, abusive debt collectors love to contact third parties to intimidate you into paying a debt. When they do this, they should be sued under federal law (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act) and state law (invasion of privacy, etc)...

Bizarre Debt Collectors' Tactics

Posted on May 11, 2009
The Michigan Collection Law Blog has posted an article about "outrageous debt collectors' actions." It gives two examples of creditor harassment that violates the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. A man was delinquent on his Mercedes payments and the collection agency Universal Tracing Services, Inc tracked down his daughter on Myspace and sent her the following message: We have been retained by, JPMorgan Chase Bank, to locate and repossess their missing collateral a 2007 Mercedes GL 450...

"Can a Small Business Owner File Chapter 7 Personally and Still Keep His Business?"

Posted on May 10, 2009
The BKBlog has posted an article that discusses if an individual can file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and still keep their business. Often times, the owner could have used personal credit cards and finances for the business, so they are being held responsible for that debt...

How Will The Chrsyler Bankruptcy Affect You?

Posted on May 10, 2009
Here is an interesting post from Consumer Reports about the recent bankruptcy of Chrysler, a first for an American automaker in over 70 years.... Massive changes are taking place around us - now it is even more important to understand your legal rights when dealing with credit reports, debt collectors, or even car companies...

Obama Seeks Credit Reform in Favor of Consumers

Posted on May 08, 2009
Associated Press writer Ben Feller has written an article about President Obama trying to reform aspects of the credit card industry. He wants to do away with "the tricky fine print, sudden rate increases and late fees that give millions of consumers headaches...

Bank Of America Needs About 34 Billion Dollars....

Posted on May 08, 2009
Glad my Bank of America cases are closed - check out this article by the Consumerist. Let's hope our tax money doesn't get sent to these jokers. Given Bank of America's need for cash, it shouldn't surprise us to see these types of banks breaking the law more and more...

$70 Million Mortgage Scheme

Posted on May 06, 2009
Associated Press' Matt Apuzzo has written an article about a "nightmare mortgage" scheme. Around 1,000 people in Maryland were tricked into paying a combined total of roughly $70 million to a company that promised to use the revenue from their money to pay off their mortgages...

One Benefit Of Suing Debt Collectors - They Tend To Not Want To Talk To You Again...

Posted on May 06, 2009
There are many reasons why you would want to sue an abusive debt collector. Here is one that we have known about for some time but we are seeing more and more confirmation of it: When you sue a debt collector there are companies that will put your name in a database (along with my name...

Facebook Scheme By Debt Collectors

Posted on May 05, 2009
I don't even know what to say about this one - a collection agency has created a "cute girl" on Facebook and she befriends people who owe money to help track down their contact information. Check out this story on the Consumerist. It is only a matter of time before collectors start abusing the more modern technologies like texting, social media, etc...

Auto Thefts Abound in Border States

Posted on May 04, 2009
Cam Simpson of the Wall Street Journal has written an article about the large amount of auto theft in states that border Mexico. 7 out of the 20 cities with the largest numbers of auto theft are close to the Mexican border. These cities include Laredo, TX; San Diego; Albuquerque, N...

New Article On Your Right To An Accurate Credit Report

Posted on May 01, 2009
We recently added an article that discusses your right to have correct and accurate credit reports. Our credit reports are very important particularly when credit is tight in these "interesting" economic times. Make sure you pull your reports, review them, dispute any items that are false, and then if you still have errors feel free to contact us...

"Smishing"

Posted on May 01, 2009
Yahoo Tech has posted an article warning about a new kind of spamming called "smishing." It's getting more and more difficult for spammers to succeed through emails, and many are beginning to text message instead of email. This technique is called "smishing...

Stimulus Check Scams

Posted on April 30, 2009
The Federal Trade Commission has posted an article that warns consumers about scams associated with getting stimulus payments. Scammers can use very official looking forms that strongly resemble those used by the IRS, to trick people into submitting their personal information in return for the promise of a stimulus check...

New Article On The Requirement Of Disputing Directly With Credit Reporting Agencies When You Have False Information On Credit Reports

Posted on April 29, 2009
Getting rid of credit report errors is critical - particularly given our economy right now. If you have a negative account this could cause your credit card companies to slash your available credit or even close out your account. If the negative account is in error and should not be on your report, this can be particularly frustrating...

Children Can Be Victims of Identity Theft

Posted on April 27, 2009
Denise Richardson of GiveMeBackMyCredit.com has posted an article about the problem of children being the victims of identity theft. Often, the theft isn't discovered until years later when...a young adult is denied a student loan, credit or employment, all because of a destroyed credit rating...

Debt Collection Agency To Pay $2.25 Million

Posted on April 25, 2009
The Michigan Collection Law Blog has posted an article relating to another blog post from Workathometruth.com about the Federal Trade Commission slapping Academy Collection Service, Inc. with the largest penalty fine ever in a debt collection case. Keith Dickstein, owner of the company, has agreed to pay the fine of $2...

Identity Theft via Caller ID - Spoofing

Posted on April 24, 2009
Denise Richardson of Give Me Back My Credit.com has posted an article in which she discusses "caller ID spoofing." Caller ID Spoofing is when the number displayed on your caller ID isn't the number actually calling. Scammers can use this method of spoofing to pose as hospitals or banks (or any other place), and then trick you into telling them personal information...

New Article On Why Using Certified Mail Is So Important When Dealing With Debt Collectors Or Credit Agencies

Posted on April 23, 2009
We sometimes face the question of "Do I really have to spend five bucks on certified mail with the green card coming back" when our clients are mailing dispute letters to credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, Trans Union, etc) or to debt buyers (Midland, LVNV, Unifund, etc) or collection agencies (AmSher, NCO, etc)...

An Example Of Illegal Collection During A Bankruptcy Case

Posted on April 21, 2009
StayViolation.Com has posted an article about a lawsuit between creditor and debtor. In Texas, Brad Collier bought almost $1,000 worth of mobile home parts and supplies from Hill's Mobile Home Parts & Service, owned by Paul Hill. Collier soon after filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy and failed to immediately notify Hill...

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